Matt Turner Returns to MLS: Loan to New England Revolution
The goalkeeper for the United States men’s national team and Lyon, Matt Turner, is set to join the New England Revolution on loan until July 2026, according to multiple sources. The loan agreement was initially reported, while New England’s interest in Turner was first reported. Turner, 31 years old, will likely count as a Designated Player for the remainder of the 2025 season, although he will not be eligible to be considered as such in 2026. The official announcement could come before the end of this week, with a press conference as early as Monday. If the agreement is finalized, it would conclude a strange period for the American goalkeeper in recent months. Turner desperately needed playing time at the club level after having played only four matches, all in cup competitions, while on loan at Crystal Palace last season from Nottingham Forest. The lack of playing time relegated him to a secondary role for the USMNT in the recent Gold Cup, behind New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese. In an attempt to change his situation, Turner initially secured a transfer to Lyon last June for $9.1 million, according to sources. But amidst the turmoil in the club’s ownership ranks, as well as doubt over whether the club would be relegated to Ligue 2 due to financial problems, Lyon tried to back out of the deal and it was never officially announced. Finally, Michelle Kang took over the presidency instead of John Textor, and Lyon successfully appealed to the Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion (DNCG), which regulates the finances of football teams in France, to maintain its first division status.
Matt Turner secured a transfer to Lyon last June for $8 million.
Now it seems that Turner will return to MLS, to New England, the team with which he made his professional debut in 2016. The move will please US coach Mauricio Pochettino, who earlier this summer said the starting goalkeeper position with the USMNT was “open” due to Turner’s lack of playing time, and that he would be looking at other options.Turner seemingly emerged from nowhere in terms of his rise through the professional ranks, beginning his career with the New England Revolution in 2016 after playing at the collegiate level at Fairfield University. In 2018, he was already the starting goalkeeper for the Revs, and he was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021. He moved to Arsenal in February 2022, but the lack of playing time there led him to secure a transfer to Nottingham Forest for the 2022-23 season. Turner began the campaign as Forest’s starting goalkeeper, but a series of questionable performances caused him to lose his place in the lineup. The loan to Palace was secured in August of last year. The Park Ridge, New Jersey native made his international debut in 2021 and has played 52 matches for the United States, including four at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.I think it’s true that [Turner] is not playing and we were talking to him and we conveyed the idea that for the future, in a year, I think he needs to find a way to compete every week.
Mauricio Pochettino
